


The Fifth Wolf

by Hyponic



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, Fix-It of Sorts, Jealous Byleth, M/M, My Unit | Byleth Twins, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Student My Unit | Byleth, scarred Byleth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:34:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22770328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyponic/pseuds/Hyponic
Summary: Beleth had never known that she was born with a twin. How could she when Jeralt himself had been kept out of the loop? Still though... The young man that they found living under Garreg Mach as a member of the secret fourth house seemed oddly familiar. It didn't help that Sothis was seemingly drawn to him. Now, if only he would remove that mask...-All Byleth had ever known was Abyss. Sometimes he thought he remembered living above ground, but he never dwelled on it. Now he found himself dealing with a bunch of surface brats and their seemingly emotionless professor. He felt like he should know her... But it was hard to care when she kept stealing Yuri's attention away.-Also known as the fic where male Byleth was kept a secret and raised by Aelfric after the fire that took place in Garreg Mach.Spoliers for Cindered Shadows! You have been warned!
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 19
Kudos: 256





	1. Letters of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Only happened because Aelfric was on to something and my thirst for Yuri is unmatched. Please bare with me as I try to make the story flow smoother.

_ Day 20 of the Horsebow Moon _

_ Sitri is dead. I still can’t believe it… How could such a beautiful person be gone? So kind and gentle… She surely did not deserve this. I wanted her to be happy. I never wanted this to happen. Lady Rhea says she chose to die in place of her daughter. Of course I’m not surprised… Sitri loved the child that grew within her more than anything in the world.  _

_ Yet… There was another. Her son. The girl was stillborn, but the boy… Well, Lady Rhea says he doesn’t have much longer. That’s why she has not told Jeralt about his birth. She does not wish to cause him any more pain by telling him about his son, dying alone in a room just next to his sister’s. _

_ I… Suppose I can see why she chose this… _

_ But Sitri would have never wanted this. _

* * *

_ Day 1 of the Wyvern Moon _

_ Sitri’s son has surprised us all. The first few days after his birth were stressful. He and his sister were very quiet for infants, but he was weakening every day. Not even Lady Rhea could help him. All we could do… was pray that Sothis wouldn’t call him to her side. He shouldn’t be joining his mother at such a young age. _

_ Yet he lives. The physicians are more hopeful about his chances, but the cloud of fear still cloaks those that know of his existence. _

_ Jeralt has named the girl. Beleth. A beautiful name… I remember it from when Sitri was talking about possible names for their child. Jeralt had seemed unsure of it at the time. I’m glad he allowed Sitri to have the name she adored so much. _

_ The boy still remains nameless. Lady Rhea has refused to give him one for fear that he would still perish. Yet… I still find myself using the name Sitri had adored. If he manages to survive, he will at least have that part of his mother. _

_ His name is Byleth. I look forward to reuniting him with Jeralt and Beleth. _

* * *

_ Day 8 of the Wyvern Moon _

_ Jeralt is gone and with him, Beleth. Rhea is beside herself with worry and grief. Nothing will calm her. It’s almost as if… She is another person. It feels like madness is lurking just under her skin, waiting to be released and flay us all alive. _

_ She terrifies me. _

_ Byleth was not as lucky as his sister. The secret about him prevented anyone from trying to save him until it was too late. I would have thrown myself into the fire to rescue him if his physician had not beaten me to it. Both of them have suffered horrible burns and are in critical condition. _

_ I pray for him. I grieve for him. I even grieve for Jeralt, who will most likely never know his son. It’s so unfair… How could the goddess allow this to happen? _

_ Does she truly love us? _

* * *

_ Day 8 of the Wyvern Moon _

_ Imperial Year 1164 _

_ Five Years… Jeralt and Beleth have yet to return to the monastery. Rhea has at least calmed down since. Byleth has made a full recovery, though he is rather reclusive for a young child. I don’t want to admit it, but I know it is due to his appearance. The other children try valiantly, but… His appearance frightens them. _

_ At least he managed to live.  _

_ Rhea has made me Byleth’s caretaker. I was worried about raising a child, but I appreciate her decision. He has taken to calling me Father. It… Is not an unbearable prospect. I have done nothing to dissuade this new habit, nor do I encourage it. _

_ I have… Been thinking of moving him to Abyss. Rhea will most likely deny me this, but I think it would be better for him. The whispers will only worsen as he grows. I fear he will be bullied as well… At least he would have a chance to have a life in Abyss. Some gold pressed to the right hands would even earn him wonderful training in any weapon he wishes. _

_ I could even start a fourth house down there with him as its first member. Maybe… Byleth could even become the future leader.  _

_ Sothis guide me in how to convince Rhea to allow him to live there. _

* * *

**_Imperial year 1180_ **

When Beleth had first heard the rumors of a city beneath Garreg Mach, she had difficulties believing them. It was true that the monastery was large, but an entire city beneath the floorboards? Ridiculous. It wasn’t until students from her own house started sniffing around for proof that the city existed that she truly began to listen to the rumors.

Exhausting.

Really, she had expected this behavior from the Golden Deer— and she had not been disappointed— but did the Blue Lions have to join the fray? They had even managed to drag the Black Eagles into their madness. Sothis cackling about it was unhelpful as well.

And so, Beleth found herself roped into aiding the search for Abyss. She had nearly scoffed when Hilda first recounted its name.  _ Abyss.  _ There was no way such a thing existed. Apparently Claude was determined to make her eat her words as he dragged her and the other house leaders to a suspicious hole in the wall.

“Claude…” Dimitri looked exhausted as he began talking. That wasn’t a surprise since it was rather late. “Are you certain you saw a suspicious individual go through there?”

“Your doubt pains me, Dimitri! I am  _ hurt! _ ” Claude did a very good job at looking affronted, clutching at his chest like he truly had been hurt. It made Beleth fight a smile while Edelgard just rolled her eyes. “There’s no mistaking what I saw, Dima!”

“I… Suppose that it does look a bit like a passageway,” Dimitri conceded. Edelgard let out a suffering sigh and light massaged her temple with one hand.

“I never thought that I would say this…but I believe Claude’s story. It certainly ties in with the countless stories of the passages beneath Garreg Mach.”

“I wonder what we would find down there…” The group fell silent at Dimitri’s comment. Beleth wanted to insist that the students return to the dorms, but Claude had beaten her to it, “All three of you know that we have to explore it now, right?” He had asked. Damn him. “Don’t worry, your highnesses. Teach and I will track down the bandit-shaped person so you don’t have to lift a finger. Just call the knights for us if we don’t return, yeah?”

“Oh no you don’t. You will not be making that decision. Besides, with the lack of information, you will need us. It would be much too dangerous.” The future empress had made a valid point. One which Claude found impossible to deny once Dimitri voiced his opinion and the professor gave him  _ that _ look. Damn.

“Well, tag along if you insist. Don’t come crying to me if we all meet a terrible fate since the knights had no idea that we needed to be rescued.”

“Then we should bring more allies,” Beleth chimed in, catching the leaders’ attention. “Just to be safe. We can send someone out if we encounter trouble without risking everyone else.” Dimitri had been very eager to agree with her much to Claude’s amusement. The blonde wore his heart on his sleeve. He’d have to tease him about that later.

“An interesting strategy, Professor.” Linhardt’s voice caught their attention as he approached them with purpose in his steps. Hilda and Ashe were not far behind.  _ ‘I wonder how long they have been listening.’  _ Sothis sounded incredibly amused when she spoke.  _ ‘They must be really curious about Abyss.’ _

Beleth had been so focused on listening to Sothis that she had missed some of the conversation with her students. Dimitri’s voice asking her a question was what pulled her attention away from the goddess in her mind.

“Are you ready, Professor?” He repeated helpfully.

“Yes. Stay behind me.” With that, the group was off. Hopefully nothing tried to eat them while they were down there.

* * *

“Back already? Have you detected any movement on the surface?”

“Well, uh… I had done what you said, but… I was spotted by some weirdos. I think they even gave chase. They seemed tough though… There were only a few, but they looked armed to the teeth.”

“With meager numbers like that, I doubt they intend to take on Abyss.”

“They probably mistook you for some villain, pal. Finally, a little action! I say we find them first and throw some punches.”

“Hold, Balthus! ‘Tis ignorance itself— Ah. He is already gone.”

“You’re excited to fight too, Coco. You’ve been wanting to try out your shiny new magic.”

“Surface laws don’t apply down here. That does give us the freedom to have some fun with them… What do you think, By?”

“...We could use the practice.”


	2. Into the Abyss

“Claude, next time I think it’s a good idea to follow you down a dark hole, remind me of how much I despise this  _ current _ experience.” It was said sweetly, but Beleth could easily pick up the underlying threat in Hilda’s words. Claude didn’t respond. The mischievous smile he sent her was enough of an answer though. Luckily it seemed that it had been too dark for the pink-haired girl to properly see it. “...Claude. Promise me you won’t allow me to do this again.” Silence answered her.  _ “Claude.” _

“Um… Maybe we should be a bit quieter?” Ashe didn’t flinch when Hilda turned her glare onto him, yet he was quick to glance away from her. “We don’t exactly know where we’re going. If we make too much noise, we could give the bandit enough time to plan a surprise attack.”

“I agree. The two of you would do well to learn how to be quiet.”

“Edie! I wasn’t even talking! It was all Hilda!”

“Call me that ridiculous nickname one more time, and you will find yourself unable to ever talk again.”  _ “Are you blaming me?!” _

_ ‘Well… That certainly didn’t take long!’  _ Sothis exclaimed. She sounded entirely too pleased about it. ‘Edelgard had a point. They shouldn’t be fighting like children right now.’ Sothis scoffed at Beleth’s response, materializing next to Claude who was trying to protect himself from the now irritated girls by hiding behind a very confused looking Dimitri.

To think they were going to be the future leaders of Fódlan… 

_ ‘Sometimes I fear for these children,’  _ Sothis murmured, disappearing once again to take a nap. Just in time to miss Hilda shove Claude into Linhardt’s back and send them both tumbling into the dark. Ah… Perhaps she should have paid more attention to them before things got to this point. Beleth hurried after the pair with the other students hot on her heels. 

“Linhardt! Are you okay?” Edelgard called out, a hint of worry in her voice. 

“We’re both fine, thanks for asking!” Claude’s voice replied, easily drowning out the voice of his companion. Beleth let out a sigh of relief, but only relaxed once the group caught up with them. “Seriously, you guys are breaking my heart here. Is Teach the only one who loves me?” 

“I tolerate you.” Claude squawked in indignation at Beleth’s response while the others tried to muffle their snickers. She was dimly aware of the Golden Deer leader complaining about ‘obvious favoritism’ being the reason why she treated him so coldly as she glanced around the room. No… Not room. This was just the passage opening up quite a bit. At least this section was lit up by torches.

“It seems that this is more than a passageway,” Edelgard cut in, firmly stopping Claude’s rant. “See that? There’s clear evidence of human habitation.” Beleth glanced around once more and found that the girl was right. It wasn’t obvious per say, but there  _ were  _ notable signs.

“Hm… I wonder… Could this be the Abyss Holst told me about?” Hilda looked curious as she started flitting around to investigate. “I always expected… Oh, I don’t know… More.” Ashe had opened his mouth to say something when booming laughter pierced the air. Beleth’s hand instantly flew to the Sword of the Creator at her side, firmly gripping its pommel. The students didn’t react quite as fast, but they were ready to draw their weapons just as a large figure came into view.

He was… extremely handsome. Beleth balked at the thought and quickly composed herself. He was an enemy until he proved to be a friend. Besides, she already had her eyes set on someone else. Though… the collar and chain paired with the lack of a shirt… 

“That’s two points for the pink-haired gal!” the man boomed, a huge grin on his face. “Welcome to Abyss strangers!” 

“Identify yourself!” Dimitri’s response was quick and did nothing to hide the shock on his face. Claude and Beleth were most likely the only ones who didn’t look startled at this point. “That uniform…” His brow furrowed. 

“It looks like it was inspired by ours…” Ashe whispered so that only his allies would hear. Not that the man seemed to mind as he continued, seemingly ignoring Dimitri.

“Welcome, curious students of the Officer’s Academy! What brings such fine, upstanding surface dwellers such as yourselves to our humble abode?”

“We’re tracking someone—” 

“Our business here does not concern you,” Edelgard stated firmly, effectively cutting off Claude. She gave him a pointed look before continuing. “Do you intend to let us pass?” The stranger seemed to consider it for a moment before another voice cut in.

“Such indulgence simply cannot be permitted!”

This time it was a girl that approached them, several heads shorter than the man. She also seemed to be wearing a modified uniform that included the collar and chain. The aura she gave off immediately reminded Beleth of Ferdinand. “Your words may fool the fool, but I cannot be so easily deceived! I, Constance von Nuvelle, shall divine your true intentions.”

Yes. She definitely reminded the teal-haired professor of Ferdinand. They could probably get along well.

“You are here by order of the church...which cruelly plots to eliminate the inhabitants of Abyss!” It was said with a smile, but it was easy to see the coldness in her eyes. She truly believed they were here for that reason.

“You think we’re here to harm you?” Beleth asked, her own expression blank as always.

“Bah! I don’t care what the reason is, but there’s a fight on the menu and I’m ready to feast! Let’s get right to it, yeah?”

“Professor,” Dimitri said softly, leaning in closer to Beleth, “they seem sure of themselves. I’d wager they’re experienced combatants. I’m… Not certain that this is a wise decision.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Claude chimed in, not taking his eyes off the strangers. “Time for us to make a strategic retreat, then?” Beleth’s mind wandered back to when they first met. ‘Yes… Because your strategic retreats always seem to work out, hm?’

“Turning back already? Oh, but you’ll make me so sad.” Claude frowned as another voice joined in while Beleth frowned at the tone. The last bit was so…mocking. As if the owner were talking to children or dogs. “Now why would you want to do that? Everyone here is starved for amusement. They’ve been waiting for a good fight.”

“...Holy shit it’s Lorenz,” Claude whispered in awe as three more people joined, eyes never straying from the purple haired one who was clearly the leader. Hilda let out an odd, choked sound. Beleth spared her a concerned glance just in time to catch her slapping a hand over her mouth, shoulders trembling in a clear attempt to not laugh.

“Claude, this isn’t the time to mess around!” Dimitri and Edelgard snapped at the same time, glaring at their fellow house leader. Linhardt and Ashe gave him similar looks while Beleth just outright glowered. Oops. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut for once.

“Wait… Claude? As in the brand-new heir of House Riegan?  _ That _ Claude?” The first man that had approached was the one to ask, his eyes wide in shock.

“Who, me? Nah. Wrong guy. Claude’s actually a common name here! It’s just too dashing for new moms to pass up. It's even a popular choice for fake names. Just a good, solid, all-purpose moniker, you know?” Claude seemed to finally take in the much larger man’s appearance… and promptly winked at him.

Edelgard looked like she was going to strangle him.

“Riiight… Except there’s only one Claude enrolled at the academy this year. Looks like that’s you.” Beleth had never seen Claude look so shocked before. “Could it be… That you’re a secret admirer of mine?”

“Ha! Hate to break it to ya, pal, but that is definitely not the case.” The students and professor silently agreed to ignore the pout that formed on Claude’s face. “Right then, your choices are as follows: line up for the beating of a lifetime...or let us lock you up like the good boys and girls you undoubtedly are.”

“Nice going, Claude,” Hilda hissed, jabbing the leader’s side with her finger. “You just got us into a fight with your stupid flirting!” 

“I thought it would bail us out!”

* * *

“Well, well… They certainly seem energetic,” Yuri mused, watching Claude get scolded by the students that came with him. His gaze went to the teal-haired woman with them and immediately frowned. She looked just like… He glanced at the figure that stood just behind him, as if trying to become his shadow. Though he was facing forward and the mask kept his features hidden, Yuri instinctively knew that Byleth was staring at him.

“Are you sure you won’t fight, By? It looks like you could take them all down by yourself.”

“...Mn. I will watch and protect all of you from lethal blows.” And Yuri believed him. He knew that between his magic and daggers, Byleth would keep them safe.

“I’m holding you to that, By,” Hapi muttered. “Not that it really matters. We all die someday.” But it wouldn’t be today. It went unsaid, but all of them heard it anyways. Byleth was protective of his wolves after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to have Claude flirt, but honestly? I'm kinda enjoying it.


	3. Battle Against the Abyssians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write fight scenes. Enjoy.

The battle had yet to start and already Beleth could feel a pit opening in her stomach. When was the last time this had happened? Normally she was confident in her student’s abilities, but… ‘We’ll need to play dirty. Their numbers are hard to see, but we are outnumbered.’ She opened her mouth to tell Claude her plan. Dimitri never gave her the chance. Damn him and his chivalry. 

“Who are you people? It doesn’t seem right to cross blades without knowing that much.” Claude perked up at the comment and shot their enemies a smirk. Of course. Claude was always eager for information.

“Eh? Why do you brats need to know that?” The man they had first met seemed genuinely confused. His eyes narrowed for a moment before sighing. “Eh, whatever. Doesn’t matter anyways. We’re the Ashen Wolves, the secret fourth house in Abyss. The surface world turned its back on us, and we did the same in return.”

The man huffed and put on a pair of gauntlets. A grappler then. Beleth made a mental note to keep Ashe and Linhardt away from him. He could do some serious damage if they were unable to dodge.

“Let's do this! Get ready!” A chorus of cheers answered him and the professor was finally able to see some new enemies take up position. Dimitri and Hilda could take the two off to the side while Ashe-

“A fourth house?” Edelgard’s voice cut through Beleth’s thoughts. The house leader had a frown on her face as she tightened her grip on her axe. When had she drawn it? “Impossible. There is no such thing. Still, we must focus on the battle ahead…”

“Agreed. Seems like it’ll be tough to fight here. It’s kind of dark...looks like a great place to take a nap.” Edelgard let out a sigh while Claude fixed Linhardt with a bemused smile.

“Seriously, Lin? You’re thinking of napping now? Anyways, see that gate over there?” Claude gestured to it when everyone fixed him with a blank stare. “That one! I think we could use it to get to the guy that looks like Lorenz. He seemed like the leader, so if we take him out the rest should run.” He looked very proud of himself as he shot, Beleth a grin. 

“Very good, Claude. I hadn’t noticed that.” He had clearly been fishing for praise, but the former mercenary would at least give him that much. He offered a quick way to end the fight.

“There is another gate as well. The locks look complicated… I don’t think I can lock pick them. There must be another way through.” Ah. Ashe was right. Claude looked mildly put out until Linhardt spoke once more.

“I thought I saw a lever earlier,” he stated, glancing back over his shoulder. 

“Alright. Linhardt, go check the lever. Claude and Dimitri take care of the assassins I saw run off to the side. It would be bad if they got past our defenses. Edelgard and Hilda you’re with me. Ashe stay behind us and assist wherever you can.”

“Yes, Professor!” 

Dimitri was the first to charge into battle, Claude hot on his heels. Beleth saw the prince immediately take down one of the assassins while his fellow house leader struggled with his own. She didn’t worry though since she saw Ashe follow them in the corner of her eye. She trusted the sniper to watch out for the other boys.

No, the one she had to worry about was… 

“I’m a delicate flower,” Hilda protested as she followed after the teal-haired professor. And then promptly swung her axe with deadly grace at a grappler that seemed to take that as an invitation to charge her. Beleth winced when she saw the man’s body go flying off into the dark. At least Hilda had only aimed to knock him out.

“‘Delicate flower’ my ass,” the massive man from earlier muttered as he tensed, clearly ready to join the fray. “If you get badly hurt, don’t be too proud to run, pals!” The fighters closest to him yelled their agreement before charging the three girls.

“Look out!” Beleth wasn’t sure who yelled that as she parried a strike and quickly took up the offensive. These men were good fighters, but they clearly had been underestimating their opponents. Then Edelgard was at her side, raising her shield to bash Beleth’s current opponent away and block a well aimed arrow.

“Thank you,” the professor murmured, resting her hand on the student’s shoulder for a moment. Edelgard seemed to flush slightly, but she was unable to respond due to Linhardt yelling for their attention.

“The lever didn’t work, Professor!”

“What are we doing wrong?” Claude called back, rejoining the bulk of the group and aiming an arrow at the enemy sniper. He had to release the arrow before he was ready though in order to dodge a swing from another enemy.

“Ha! I think the better question is, what aren’t you doing wrong? Only we can operate that.” That damn mocking voice… Claude didn’t seem too happy about it either as he quickly retreated. The grappler from before tried to follow after him. He didn’t get too far as Dimitri raced over to engage him instead.

“I’d rather deal with the actual Lorenz!” Claude loudly declared. Hilda snorted and quickly ducked when she saw the arrow coming right for her.

“Whatever! Just take out the bastard trying to shoot me!”

“If it’s what the lady wants!”

Beleth bit back a groan as she turned her attention to the large man from before. Well… It would be best to leave him up to her. But… No. Nothing would go wrong. Besides, she had the Divine Pulse if anything did happen. The man noticed her staring and gave her a cocky smile.

“Come and get some, kiddo! I won’t hold back, so you better not either! These fists-” The professor didn’t give him the chance to finish talking as she charged him. She wasn’t a child. “Ha! Did I hit a sore spot?”

The former mercenary didn’t see the point in answering that as she just focused on staying on the offensive. The man was good. Really good. He blocked her strikes easily and even managed to get a few hits of his own. Luckily, they had only grazed her. If he actually managed to land a hit- “Professor duck!”

The sound of Ashe’s voice caught her attention. She was quick to follow his direction just in time for an arrow to go over her head and embed itself in her opponent's shoulder. The man cursed, momentarily distracted. Beleth saw her chance and swung the Sword of the Creator in an upward slash. The man bit back a shout as he stumbled back, his blood staining the ground red. 

“Ugh… You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that much.” He seemed ready to charge once more. 

“Hey! Take your own advice, fool!” A woman practically screeched. It seemed to work though as the man  _ pouted _ and stopped in his tracks. “Don’t make me send By after you!” And that caused him to huff and turn to retreat, pulling along one of his nearby allies. 

With no immediate threats in the area now, the students stopped so Linhardt could quickly patch them up. Everyone was showing signs of fatigue already… They had to end this soon. Dimitri was the first to run off, quickly followed by a worried Ashe. They were soon followed by Edelgard and Claude while Byleth hung back to practically drag a tired Linhardt and whining Hilda. 

How the hell were they going to make it out of this one?

* * *

Yuri wasn’t surprised when Constance raced off as soon as the sounds of battle got closer, but he didn’t expect to see her returning so soon. With arrows sticking out of her and an injured Hapi. At least the wounds weren’t fatal, but he immediately gestured to where Balthus had gone a while ago.

At least they had enough sense to retreat before they started bleeding everywhere. Although he didn’t envy the surface dwellers when he caught sight of Constance’s thunderous expression. She was close to Hapi after all.

“I should teach them a lesson,” Byleth muttered. Yuri was about to deny him, but… He did have a point. Even he couldn’t deny the small wave of fury that had swelled within him when Balthus had passed. He hadn’t expected the war monk to have such a wound. Paired with the other Abyssians who had fled as well… 

“We both know I have no real power over you,” he said after a moment. “Just keep it quick and clean. You are dealing with some nobility after all.” Yuri didn’t receive a response, but he knew Byleth had slipped into the shadows. “Just be careful.”

* * *

The two women had retreated, which just left the leader and some other fighters. Everyone was tired, but the end was in sight. Byleth only had to use the Divine Pulse twice to save Hilda from a couple of close calls. This was it. The sooner this was done, the better. Already she could feel her muscles screaming in protest. The pain was ignored in favor of rushing with Dimitri to take out an enemy that had decided to charge.

She never noticed that something was amiss. No one had. Until Edelgard let out a cry of anguish. 

Beleth had never heard such a sound come out of her before. Even in battle she was calm and collected. The professor whirled around to see what was wrong… And nearly screamed herself. A masked man—one she hadn’t noticed at all—had managed to slip past them. She missed the action, but she knew. The red seeping from Linhardt’s neck was very telling. She caught his gaze and felt her blood run cold at the fear in his eyes before they grew dull.

His body hadn’t hit the ground before she used a divine pulse. This time she hung back with the healer, trusting Dimitri to handle their former enemy just fine. The attack still happened… Just not on Linhardt. Beleth didn’t realize how far Claude actually wandered off from the group until she heard him start gurgling. She barely managed to see the dagger lodged in his throat as he tipped backwards. 

One more time. A dagger in Ashe’s chest.

One more time. Powerful lightning magic. Edelgard doesn’t get back up.

One more time. Dimitri listens to her warning and is able to avoid the initial strike. He couldn’t dodge the second that immediately blinds him.

_ One more time.  _ ‘I  _ will  _ save them.’

* * *

Yuri wasn’t surprised when Constance raced off as soon as the sounds of battle got closer, but he didn’t expect to see her returning so soon. With arrows sticking out of her and an injured Hapi. At least the wounds weren’t fatal, but he immediately gestured to where Balthus had gone a while ago.

At least they had enough sense to retreat before they started bleeding everywhere. Although he didn’t envy the surface dwellers when he caught sight of Constance’s thunderous expression. She was close to Hapi after all.

He also didn’t expect the woman leading the students to suddenly appear, a wild look in her eyes. Nor was he expecting the famed Sword of the Creator to be slicing through the air, targeting the man at his side. Both of them leapt to the side, easily dodging the blow.

“Heh. What did you do to get on her bad side, By?” Yuri could feel his friend’s glare. “Stop looking at me like that and go join the others. I’ll try to hold her off.” He paused when Byleth stubbornly remained still even as the woman prepared to attack again. “Balthus could use help healing as well.” That finally did the trick.

It even made catching the professor off guard easier.

“Hey, stay awhile, won’t you!” Yuri teased, blocking her off from chasing after Byleth. Oh man, they really did look similar. Especially when they look confused. “Shame indeed not to have a bit of fun with each other while we’ve got the chance, you know?”

Surprisingly, that seemed to cool down the woman’s temper immensely. It didn’t stop her from getting a lucky shot and immediately taking him out though. He was content to remain on the floor with a sword pointed at his neck while the students finally caught up. Ugh… He could just feel their eyes on him. How unsettling.

“Hm… Maybe I got a bit too carried away. Nah… Either way, I give.” The woman hesitated for a moment before pulling away and allowing him to sit up. Though he was confused by the amount of distance she put-

“Don’t worry, Boss! I’ve gotcha!” Ah. That would do it. Yuri grunted as he was hoisted into the air, but refused to react to it. He had learned it was best to let Balthus do as he pleased. “Now, let’s go for round two!” Except for right now.

“B, your wound is still tender. By told you not to push it.”

Yuri let out an exasperated sigh as the pair started to bicker. Of course. They just couldn’t wait until they were alone to do this. So much for retaining their dignity in front of the surface dwellers.


End file.
